This Week, We ‘Ave Mostly Been Playing… #12

It’s Friday!

We’re happy the weekend is nearly here. Mostly because it means we don’t have to sit in front of our PCs for large amounts of the day. Though saying that, we’re likely to spend a large amount of time sat in front of TVs playing games instead. Oh dear, what a pity, nevermind.

Before we sign off for the weekend though, we have to go through the ritual of telling you what we’ve been playing this week. You might find it entertaining or useful, you might not. But here goes anyway.

Rich: Last weekend, I pretty much played Shadow of the Tomb Raider solidly. It wasn’t really a hardship though as I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, after Shadow of the Tomb Raider I was brought back down to earth by Super Street: The Game, which really is an abomination. At least it made me appreciate my time with V-Rally 4 more though. That’s not a bad racer at all as long as you don’t mind its rather tedious career.

Kim: Like half the world (and most of the GameSpew team) I’ve spent a considerable amount of time swinging around New York City as Spider-Man this week. I was not disappointed. It’s a fantastic game, although I couldn’t help but miss the easy-go-lucky feeling of the first half of the game once the shit hit the fan half-way through.

I’ve also played a game about a farting knight, Sigi – A Fart for Melusina. A platform game that apes the classics, it’s a short and silly affair but altogether fairly entertaining. I also played a bit of FullBlast, a vertical-scrolling shooter that released on consoles last week. It’s not the most inspiring games… but it gave me 1,000 Gamerscore in about 20 minutes. #achievementwhore

Sigi – A Fart for Melusina

Alec: I’ve been seriously getting into Spider-Man and I honestly don’t think I’ve had as much fun with any game this year. There’s a compelling main story to pull you through but also dozens of fun little diversions along the way, from capturing pigeons (yes, really) to flying through toxic clouds to demonstrate the usefulness of Oscorp research stations. Having unlocked a few upgrades and played around a bit, the combat system is a joy; flexible, fluid and the gateway to webbing enemies to walls and swing kicking them off rooftops.

Most of all, I keep thinking about how I’m bored of most games when I’ve put this many hours into them, how the routine that almost all games settle into has become monotonous by that point and how it feels like I’ve seen all that the game has to offer. In Spider-Man though, while the formula that underpins everything is undeniably clear, each element in the formula is polished enough that it remains a consistent thrill even without being novel and surprising. There’s also enough variation within that formula to keep things interesting, the writing and characters keep you engaged, and navigating the city continues to be an effortless, entrancing pleasure. Oh, and I’ve just hit the big twist, one that changes the city and, in many ways, changes the game. A holiday has currently torn me away from my PS4 but come next week, I can’t wait to dive in again.

Spider-Man

Chris: I’ve spending a lot time playing Spider-Man, which I’ve reviewed. It’s the best Spider-Man game yet and one of the best superhero games around. Stealth sections aside, it’s a joy to play, as is the photo mode which I’ve been having a lot of fun with. Specifically, I’ve been taking pictures which Spider-Man look like an absolute jackass.

Aside from that, I’ve been dipping back into Katamari Forever, even before I heard a version of the game was going to be hitting the Nintendo Switch. The game is mad as a fish, though I do feel a bit bad for all the people whose homes I’ve rolled up and fired into space.

Katamari

Jack: Spider-man Flood of Warcraft. The majority of gamers and I have been swinging about in Sony’s new exclusive Spider-man, and it rekindled my love for a video game spidey which manages to echo the same fluidity and joy in swinging from skyscraper to skyscraper.

In World of Warcraft this week I’ve been doing a nice mix of mythic keystones flying from dungeon to dungeon. Windwalking Monk is a heck of a lot of fun, and as my alt, it somehow as roughly the same gear level as my main, Shaman. Over the last weekend I blitzed through Battle for Azeroth‘s first raid, Uldir, on normal difficulty.

A bit off the cuff this week, I had a chance to dust off the Nintendo Switch to play Flood of Light. A game that originally came out on mobile devices seems a nice fit for the Switch, even though there are some control issues in the later levels. Look out for my review early next week.

Battle For Azeroth

Stan: This week, like pretty much the rest of GameSpew and the gaming world, I have been swinging through the streets of New York in Spider-man. It feels so incredible to swing past the skyscrapers and swoop low to the road. Combat is accessible and fun, and boss fights add that extra punch. I have just completed the main story, and am going to spend the weekend searching for every collectable! Spider-man makes me wish that a spider would also bite me.

I’ve also been delving back into Football Manager before the new version comes out in early November. As a Portsmouth fan, Football Manager gives me one of the only opportunities to see my club win the Premier League, and the Champions League, and the FA Cup, and the League Cup… basically everything I can! Football Manager is great, but, the question is, do you suit up for cup final day? You’re not a true player unless you do!